苹果：一代宗师驾鹤西去，4大举措延续传奇

    苹果公司（Apple）无疑是目前全球最有价值的科技公司。这家总部位于加利福尼亚州库比蒂诺市的公司员工总数超过12,000人。它具备超凡的能力，每一款新产品的发布都能让整个科技行业的发展轨迹发生改变。现在，史蒂夫•乔布斯永远地离开了苹果。现任CEO蒂姆•库克领衔的精英管理团队将担负起率领苹果继续创新，维持苹果市场支配地位的重任。不过，苹果公司完全具备充足的资源和人力来完成这个任务。苹果要继续向前发展必须做到以下四点：

取悦用户

    苹果全球联络部副总裁卡蒂•科顿近期在接受美国科技博客AllThingsD采访时说：“苹果及其文化在全世界是独一无二的。我们要努力将这种独特性传承下去。”她还强调说，在库克的领导下，苹果公司将坚持既定发展战略，“我们会继续生产世界上最出色的产品，让我们的顾客为之欣喜，让我们的员工为之骄傲。”

    这话听起来也许缺乏新意，但却包含着至关重要的一点——取悦客户。利用新产品激发消费者永不满足的购买欲望或许是苹果最重要的天赋，从产品的发布到出现在专卖店的货架，或通过邮件将产品信息发到潜在消费者的邮箱等等，苹果的每一个环节体现了这一点。现成的证据是，据全球市场资讯公司JD Power and Associates进行的顾客满意度调查显示，苹果iPhone手机已经连续六次位居榜首。

    部分媒体对于苹果iPhone4S手机的发布反应冷淡，甚至有一些媒体已经开始质疑该公司“取悦”客户的能力——至少新产品的发布情况令人大失所望。无疑，库克及其团队缺乏乔布斯的舞台魅力，但这只是部分原因；另一重要原因在于iPhone4S本身。尽管这款新品与之前的iPhone4相比内部组件有较大程度的升级，但外观却一模一样，缺乏新意，这对于期盼苹果另一款惊艳之作的消费者来说，无疑是令人失望的。

    另外，科技媒体也有责任。过去的几个月中，它就像一台疯狂的机器，不知疲倦地散布虚假信息，臆测苹果新版iPhone实体模型及其他新产品。然而，现在就对苹果公司做最终的判决还为时尚早。据美国电话电报公司（AT&T）透露，在iPhone4S开始接受预定的前12个小时内，预订量就达到了20万台。这很清楚地表明了消费者对4S的巨大需求，而当他们真正触摸到苹果的这款新品时，一定会感到无比满足。

保持神秘感

    经过多年的发展，苹果品牌散发出一股让人捉摸不透的神秘气息，就连乔布斯的健康状况也不例外。据CNN消息称，乔布斯一直到手术之前才向投资者透露了有关他身患癌症的细节。另外，据报道，苹果公司对产品开发的情况向来讳莫如深，甚至故意向员工散布虚假情报；而解雇泄密员工的事件也曾发生过。结果就形成了这种局面，外界关于苹果产品开发的情况知之甚少。当然，去年意外丢失的iPhone原版机另当别论。

    有些人认为，随着乔布斯的离世，苹果公司有可能变得更加公开透明。这种情况不太可能发生，事实上，也不应该发生。因为正是这种高度神秘感，使忠实的果粉对苹果公司的一举一动都热情追捧，丝毫不亚于执着的影迷对奥斯卡颁奖典礼的狂热。消费者对苹果的这份钟情，其他科技公司只有羡慕的份儿。既然这一招让苹果受益匪浅，何必改弦更张？

扩大明星高管的曝光度

    乔布斯最大的功劳，也许就是在20世纪90年代末将苹果从濒临破产的危机中解救了出来；但他并不是一个人在战斗。当时，乔布斯招募并提拔了一批有才干的全明星高管，乔布斯的愿景能够变成现实，他们功不可没。这些人中就包括原苹果首席运营官，现任苹果CEO库克，工业设计高级副总裁乔纳森•艾维，运营高级副总裁杰夫•威廉姆斯（也被成为苹果的“另一位运营奇才”），iOS软件部门高级副总裁斯科特•福斯特以及产品营销高级副总裁菲尔•席勒。

    苹果公司较为明智的做法让其更多的高管走入公众视野；我们看到，苹果公司似乎正在这样做。早在乔布斯卸任CEO之前，库克便是负责运营商威瑞森（Verizon）iPhone活动的指定人选。而今年早些时候，苹果公司网络软件与服务高级副总裁埃迪•库曾协助新闻集团（News Corp.）董事长鲁伯特•默多克在美国纽约推广iPad版《每日电讯报》（The Daily）。不仅如此，本周早些时候苹果iPhone4S发布时，库克也为席勒，福斯特及库留出了充分的时间亮相。通过这种方式，苹果不仅向用户充分推销了自己，还让各高管展示了自己最拿手的领域。

进军新市场

    和其他企业一样，增长是目前苹果面临的关键问题。虽然苹果时下的发展如火如荼（iPad上季度销售量爆涨183%）；但未来重大的发展机遇仍在于苹果尚未进入的市场。正如PCMag杂志迈克尔•米勒指出的那样，乔布斯最大的优势并非开发新技术，而是在于他总能发现有前景的技术，通过整合包装，形成新的市场需求，并从中获益。iPod和之后的iPhone手机，iPad平板电脑，MacBook Air笔记本电脑，iTunes以及苹果应用商店无一例外，都体现了这一点。而且有趣的是，苹果所到之处，竞争也会随之而来【当然最近也出现了一个例外。部分批评人士指出，苹果公司即将推出的iCloud产品不及亚马逊（Amazon）及谷歌（Google）最近推出的同类产品】。

    译者：李淑玉/汪皓

    Apple (AAPL) is now the most valuable technology company in the world, a 12,000-strong organization nestled in Cupertino, Calif. with the exceedingly rare ability to alter the trajectory of an entire industry with a single product release. With Steve Jobs' passing, the onus falls on CEO Tim Cook and a talented executive bench to continue innovating and maintaining the company's market dominance. It has the tools and people in place to do so. Here's what it needs to do moving forward.

Delight users.

    "Apple is a company and culture unlike any other in the world, and we are going to stay true to that," Katie Cotton, Apple VP of Worldwide Communications, recently told AllThingsD, emphasizing that the company would not change under Cook's leadership. "We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do."

    It might sound obvious, but keeping customers delighted is key. It's arguably Apple's number one talent: whetting people's insatiable appetites with new devices], from the point that a product is unveiled to the time it arrives in stores (or in your mail) and beyond. Case in point: the iPhone has ranked #1 in JD Power and Associates' customer satisfaction survey -- six consecutive times.

    Based on lukewarm reactions to the iPhone 4S announcement in some corners of the media, some are already questioning the company's ability to "delight," at least when it comes to product launches. Not only did Cook and crew supposedly lack Jobs' onstage flair, but the phone itself – identical to the iPhone 4 on the outside, significantly more advanced inside – disappointed those who were expecting another mind-blowing redesign.

    Some of that disappointment can be blamed on the tech media itself, a frenzied machine that kicked into overdrive over the last few months with false leaks, wet dream mockups and wish lists. Ultimately, it's too early to pass judgment in this department, but based on AT&T's sell-through of 200,000 iPhone 4S units during the first 12 hours of pre-orders, there's clearly demand for the 4S, a device just as likely to satisfy its users once they actually get their mitts on them.

Maintain mystique.

    Over the years, Apple has developed a neigh-impenetrable aura of mystery, one that extended to Jobs' medical condition. According to CNN, Jobs didn't disclose details of his cancer to investors until undergoing an operation. Meanwhile, the company has reportedly been so secretive in the past about product development that it's spread disinformation to employees and fired some in the past for breaking confidentiality. As a result, accurate leaks are exceedingly rare, if unheard of -- unless of course, you factor in last year's lost iPhone prototype bonanza.

    Some have speculated that with the passing of Jobs we might see a more open, transparent Apple. Not likely. Indeed, it probably shouldn't. That same high level of secrecy encourages the Apple faithful to treat each Apple event like it's the Oscars, speculating with a fervor other tech companies can only hope for. The approach has served them well in the past, so why mess with it now?

Play up the executive bench.

    Jobs may be largely credited with rescuing Apple from the brink of oblivion during the late 90s, but he wasn't alone in doing so. Along the way, he recruited and promoted a talented group of senior executive all-stars who have contributed to and executed his vision. That includes COO-turned-CEO Cook, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design Jonathan "Jony" Ive, Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams (aka Apple's other operations whiz), Scott Forstall, Senior VP of iOS software and Phil Schiller, Senior VP of Product Marketing.

    Apple would be wise to let more of its executives share the limelight, and that's already what it seems to be doing. Even before Jobs stepped down as CEO, Cook was Apple's point man at the Verizon iPhone event, and Senior VP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue helped News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch roll out The Daily earlier this year in New York City. And at the iPhone 4S announcement earlier this week, Cook gave ample time to Schiller, Forstall and Cue. In doing so, the company isn't just introducing more of the company to its users, it's also allowing each executive to proselytize the area they know best.

Enter new markets.

    Like any company, growth is key for Apple. While it continues to do extremely well -- iPad sales grew 183% last quarter, for instance -- the major growth opportunities remain in areas where the company has yet to enter. As PCMag's Michael J. Miller points out, one of Jobs' biggest strengths was not inventing new tech per se but recognizing emerging technologies and packaging them to create and capitalize on new markets. He did that with the iPod and again with the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, iTunes and App Store. And where Apple entered, the competition soon followed. (A recent exception? The company's upcoming iCloud, which critics argue lags behind somewhat comparable, recently-launched offerings from Amazon (AMZN) and Google (GOOG).)